Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T04:39:36.880Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Pharmacological Treatment of Depression in Cancer Patients

A Placebo-Controlled Study of Mianserin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Kees Van Heeringen  and
Milana Zivkov
Kees Van Heeringen*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Gent, Belgium
Milana Zivkov
Affiliation:
Medical Services Department, NV Organon, Oss, The Netherlands
*
Professor C. van Heeringen, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Gent, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Depression has a reported mean prevalence of 24% in patients diagnosed with cancer. However, little systematic research on the efficacy of antidepressants in patients with cancer has been performed.

Method

The efficacy and safety of mianserin were studied in 55 depressed women with breast cancer (stage I or II and without known metastases), in a randomised, double-blind, six-week, placebo-controlled study.

Results

Statistically significant differences in the decrease in score from baseline on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the number of responders, favouring mianserin, were present after 28 and 42 days of treatment Significantly more placebo-treated patients prematurely terminated the study due to lack of efficacy while the safety profile of mianserin was similar to that of placebo.

Conclusions

Treatment with mianserin resulted in a significant improvement in depressive symptoms in cancer patients, and was well tolerated.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 169 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 440 - 443
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1980) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edn) (DSM–III). Washington, DC: APA.Google Scholar
Bech, P., Allerup, P., Reisby, N., et al (1984) Assessment of symptom change from improvement curves on the Hamilton depression scale in trials with antidepressants. Psychopharmacology, 84, 276–281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Branconnier, R. J., Cole, J. O., Ghazvinian, S., et al (1982) Treating the elderly depressed patient: the comparative behavioural pharmacology of mianserin and amitriptyline. In Typical and Atypical Antidepressants: Clinical Practice (eds Costa, E. & Racagni, G.), pp. 195–210. New York: Raven Press.Google Scholar
Buckberg, J., Penman, D. & Holland, J. C. (1984) Depression in hospitalised cancer patients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 46, 199–212.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cleary, P. N. & Guy, W. (1977) Factor analysis of the Hamilton Depression Scale. Drugs in Exploratory Clinical Research, 1, 115–120.Google Scholar
Costa, E., Mogos, I. & Toma, T. (1985) Efficacy and safety of mianserin in the treatment of depression of women with cancer. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 72, 85–92.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, D. L., McCartney, C. F. & Haggerty, J. J. (1988) Treatment of depression in cancer patients is associated with better life adaptation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 50, 72–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, M. (1960) A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology. Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 23, 56–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, M. (1967) Development of a rating scale for primary depressive illness. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 6, 278–296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kathol, R. G., Mutgi, A., Williams, J., et al (1990) Diagnosis of major depression in cancer according to four sets of criteria. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 1021–1024.Google ScholarPubMed
Massie, M. J., Gagnon, P. & Holland, J. C. (1994) Depression and suicide in patients with cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 9, 325–340.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDaniel, J. S., Musselman, D. L., Porter, M. R., et al (1995) Depression in patients with cancer diagnosis, biology, and treatment Archives of General Psychiatry, 52, 89–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGrath, P. J., Rabkin, J. G., Stewart, J. W., et al (1985) Placebo-controlled study of mianserin in depressed outpatients. Neuropsychobiology, 14, 128–132.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Middleboe, T., Ovesen, L., Mortensen, E. L., et al (1994) Depressive symptoms in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a psychometric analysis. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 61, 171–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montgomery, S. A., Baldwin, D. & Green, M. (1989) Why do amitriptyline and dothiepin appear to be so dangerous in overdose? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 80 (suppl. 354), 47–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J. & Robins, E. (1978) Research Diagnostic Criteria: rationale and reliability. Archives of General Psychiatry, 35, 73–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.